Events and Programs Archives

Q&A with Alex Urban (MA ’12), TOUR Championship Executive Director

August 22, 2022/by Zach Armstrong

Alex Urban (MA ’12) is living his childhood dream: this past May, the PGA TOUR named Alex executive director of the TOUR Championship. After falling in love with the sport of golf early in life, he now plans, facilitates and advocates for one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the United States. The TOUR Championship is truly Alex’s perfect workplace, and why wouldn’t it be? It’s full of Bulldogs!

The TOUR Championship runs August 24 – 28, the first under Alex’s leadership (want to go? Here’s how to do that). Ahead of the big event, Alex generously took some time to answer a few questions about his time at UGA, the PGA TOUR, and everything in between.

Q: What is your first UGA memory?

A: My first memory is walking into the Grady College when I was touring colleges for grad school and being instantly amazed by the campus and the facilities. I was, at the time, choosing between UGA and UF, and thankfully, there is no doubt in my mind that I made the best possible decision.

Q: Where did you spend most of your time on campus?

A: When I was on campus, I was mainly in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. I love that part of campus because it’s right there by the Tate Student Center and, of course, Sanford Stadium. Outside of Grady, I did spend a decent amount of time at the Zell B. Miller Learning Center and the Main Library – graduate school requires a lot of reading and writing! As a former competitive swimmer, the 50-meter pool in Ramsey was awesome too.

Q: As you progressed in your career, what was the most valuable lesson from UGA that you carried with you?

A: I learned so many things in my time at UGA—both in and outside of the classroom. One thing that has really stuck with me is the value of measuring progress and success. For example, when we evaluate marketing campaigns or tactics, it’s easy to fall into the trap of just guessing what is working and what is not. It’s so important to create accurate ways to measure output both pre- and post-implementing tactics so you work with the best information to make decisions.

Also, the value of listening is something I am always being reminded of. There are a lot of smart people in the world, and teams operate so much better when leaders get out of the way and listen. There is nothing more important than listening – to a similar point above, listening allows you to get the full picture before making strategic decisions.

Q: What is the best thing about being executive director for the TOUR Championship?

A: Very few people in the world get to say they work in their dream job, and I am one of the lucky members of that club. When I was 15 and thinking about what I might do for a living, I knew it was a dream to work in sports, but then to work in my favorite sport is special. I love the sport of golf so much and this job. I feel like I get to make my own mark on the history of the game and make a positive impact on our community.

Q: How often do you hear “Go Dawgs” from players and other PGA TOUR staff?

A: All the time! As you might imagine, there are a ton of Dawgs that work for the PGA TOUR, especially with it being headquartered not too far away in Ponte Vedra Beach outside of Jacksonville. I was at our headquarters for five years, and of course, the Georgia-Florida game is a can’t-miss event every year. As far as our players, there are so many on TOUR that you can’t go too long without running into a Dawg.

I was lucky enough to be working the Sony Open in Oahu during the first national championship game against Bama and helped set up the bet between Kevin Kisner and Justin Thomas where the loser had to wear the winner’s jersey for a hole during the Pro-Am. While it was a sad week for UGA that time, Kevin was a good sport. There have been a lot of happy Dawgs at the PGA TOUR since January!

Q: What does your day-to-day look like in your job?

A: I get asked this all the time, and it’s so hard to answer because it changes so much depending on the time of year or even the day of the week. We put on a small city to operate a world-class tournament like the TOUR Championship, so on any given day, we might be working with one of our proud partners – Southern Company, Coca-Cola and Accenture – or doing budgeting, marketing, speaking engagements, operational build items, signage, community outreach, permitting—the list goes on. It is truly impossible to get bored in a role like this given the breadth of the job.

Q: What does the volume of UGA golfers on tour say about the program Coach Haack runs?

A: It says three things in my mind:

Coach Haack knows how to identify great players.
He knows how to coach them so that they grow into PGA TOUR-level players.
UGA is an ideal place to hone a player’s skill.

It is truly amazing what Coach Haack has been able to accomplish, and the ever-growing, already huge list of Dawgs on TOUR highlights that. I teed it up a few times at the University Golf Course, and it’s obviously a pretty good test of golf!

Q: How does the PGA TOUR involve itself in philanthropy in the communities it touches?

A: Throughout the season, PGA TOUR events generate millions of dollars for the communities they play in, and none underscore the importance of that more than the TOUR Championship here at East Lake. Since 1998, the tournament has generated more than $42 million in charitable donations to the East Lake Foundation, the First Tee of Metro Atlanta, Purpose Built Communities and a few other local charities. These charities directly impact the community immediately surrounding the course—what the East Lake Foundation and the Cousins family have been able to accomplish to improve this area is remarkable.

You look at the construction of an impressive building like the Drew Charter School, and you can see that charitable impact at work—it isn’t just a number. And those things all work in concert to make the city of Atlanta and East Lake a better place to live. We take that responsibility very seriously. Every year, two First Tee of Metro Atlanta students earn the right to hit the opening tee shot on Thursday through a series of essays, interviews and golf tournaments. It is such a special way to start the week and highlight our commitment to this community.

Thank you to Alex for spending some time with us and giving us a peek into the working life of a Bulldog running the TOUR Championship! Find tickets to the event on their website, and watch the top 30 PGA TOUR players compete at East Lake Golf Club from August 24 – 28. Stay informed by following the official TOUR Championship on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Learn More About the Tour Championship

Donors make 9,339 gifts on Georgia Giving Day

April 4, 2022/by Clarke Schwabe

UGA’s first 24-hour fundraising campaign smashes goals, nets $5.3 million to areas across campus

The University of Georgia’s first institution-wide, 24-hour fundraising effort, Georgia Giving Day, finished at midnight PST on April 1 after receiving 9,339 gifts.

UGA’s goal for its inaugural giving day was 1,785 gifts, but overwhelming support pushed the campaign past its first goal, a second goal of 3,318 and even a third goal of 6,000.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who contributed to this astonishing result, and I want them to know that they are part of more than just a successful fundraising effort,” said Kelly Kerner, UGA vice president for development and alumni relations. “They are now part of a student’s journey to Athens, a community solving local issues through UGA research, a team of students and faculty finishing a project that puts them on the national stage. All these things and many more are made possible with the help of our donors.”

Georgia Giving Day generated $5.3 million in new funding, with gifts going to each of UGA’s 18 schools and colleges. Donors came from 50 states and 16 countries.

Some donors did more than donate, however. UGA alumni chapters across the U.S. organized events for Georgia Giving Day that encouraged attendees to make gifts while participating in a variety of activities. Events from St. Louis to Dallas to Savannah to Boston saw Bulldogs giving back while bowling, brunching, wine tasting and more.

UGA enlisted a number of prominent alumni to promote the effort. UGA head football coach Kirby Smart, broadcasters Deborah Roberts and Maria Taylor, author and Super Bowl champion Malcolm Mitchell and J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks—all Georgia Giving Day donors themselves—helped reach out to UGA supporters.

“When Bulldogs come together, our wins extend beyond the football field into the very heart of what UGA stands for: a better quality of life for everyone,” said Smart in a Georgia Giving Day promotional video. “With all of the Bulldog Nation working together, there’s no limit to who and where we can help.”

Students played a notable role in the day’s success through the annual Senior Signature campaign, which allows graduating students to have their names included on a plaque in Tate Plaza with a $30 gift supporting UGA and the school or college of their choice. The campaign’s final day was March 31, and thanks to Georgia Giving Day efforts, it acquired nearly 22 percent of its student donor goal in a single day.

Those who were unable to donate on Georgia Giving Day can still make a difference at UGA. Visit givingday.uga.edu to make a gift, learn more about Georgia Giving Day and watch a special video from Coach Smart.

Ninth annual TEDxUGA awakens Wonder

March 24, 2022/by Alyssa Craig

It’s no small wonder that transformation starts with one: one person, one muse, one idea. A single stroke of inspiration has the power to unite communities in pursuit of dreams that exist at the crossroads of the unfamiliar and the awe-inspiring.

Some of the brightest UGA students, faculty and alumni will step onto the stage for the TEDxUGA: Wonder on Friday, April 1 at the Morton Theatre. The event will begin at 7 p.m. There is also a virtual livestreaming option for those who want to attend from the comfort of their own home.

The lineup this year features eight UGA speakers, two of which are alumni, and one alumna serving as the program’s emcee.

Speakers

Darrell Blocker (AB ’86) is the chief operating officer at the boutique strategic risk and crisis management, intelligence and security advisory firm MOSAIC. He creates espionage-themed content in Hollywood and volunteers with nonprofits dedicated to improving the future of youth in foster care and countering the exploitation and human trafficking of youth and women. In his talk, Darrell speaks on why the world should be a kinder place.

Charlie Mustard (MS ’97) is the longtime head roaster at Jittery Joe’s, an Athens-based coffee roasting company. As a proud Athenian of 29 years and an engaged community member, Charlie takes the TEDxUGA stage to speak on the importance of community participation and how you can make your own home unique.

Emcee

Dominique Holloman (BS ’01, AB ’01, MED ’04, JD ’04) is a former member of the Board of Visitors and the Law School Alumni Council, and she currently serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Dominique was the inaugural president of the affinity group UGA Black Alumni and a member of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. In addition to her work as a government affairs professional, she continues to help create a more diverse and dynamic community at UGA.

For nine years, TEDxUGA has brought UGA and the Athens community together to listen and learn from individuals and their extraordinary stories, philosophies and ideas. Consider registering to experience the connectivity that fosters creativity and inspiration from the university’s leading thinkers and doers.

REGISTER FOR TEDXUGA

2022 is YOUR year.

January 1, 2022/by Danielle Bezila

These Bulldog 100 businesses are here to support your 2022 New Year’s Resolutions.

GET IN SHAPE

It’s the most popular new year’s resolution time after time. You know the one. Good news in 2022: SculptHouse has you covered! Whether you’re looking to make some healthy physical changes, or just look good trying, be sure to check out SculptHouse’s fitness classes and activewear.

SculptHouse is a fitness studio, activewear and lifestyle boutique with physical locations in Atlanta and Dallas and a robust online presence. It focuses on helping clients lead healthy, happy and confident lives through fitness and fashion.

UPDATE YOUR HOME + YARD

Maybe your resolution was to finally turn that spare room into an office or a playroom. Or was it to transform your backyard into a space you can enjoy year-round? Let Maggie Griffin Design, Root Design Studio, Cindy Lynn Dunnaway Interiors, Hager Design International and Backyard Escapes help you accomplish your home interior and exterior goals!

Maggie Griffin Design is a full-scale interior design studio creating homes evoking Southern hospitality, comfort, elegance and stylish living. The company manages every aspect of a project to create beauty and highly satisfied clients.

Root Design Studio is a boutique landscape architecture firm located in Atlanta, serving a diverse clientele in both the public and private sectors. Providing a full range of services from master planning through construction administration, Root Design has the expertise to deliver high-quality site development solutions.

CLD Interiors is a full-service interior design firm specializing in updated traditional interiors. Based in Atlanta, they help clients across the Southeast create beautiful and perfectly livable spaces for their families.

Hager Design International Inc. (HDI) specializes in hospitality, retail and senior living projects. There are over 1,100 projects in HDI’s portfolio, including award-winning renovations of historic properties in the United States and Canada.

Backyard Escape is a full-service custom design-build company with a specialization in pools, unique garden landscapes, designer stone patios with (or without) pergolas, home barbecue centers and more.

SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY

Whenever communities are looking for stronger leaders and the world cries out for better solutions, Bulldogs answer the call to service. If your resolution is to jump in and serve your community this year, consider Bulldog-led organizations such as Extra Special People Inc., Nuçi’s Space and Light from Light.

Extra Special People Inc. (ESP) exists to create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families, changing communities for the better. ESP is a growing nonprofit with 35 years of experience in serving people of all abilities. ESP carries out its mission in three ways: 360, Java Joy and Hooray.

Nuçi’s Space is focused on ending the epidemic of suicide and inspiring a culture free of the stigma attached to brain illnesses and its sufferers by supporting a community-wide effort that focuses on education, prevention and access to appropriate treatment. Their mission is to prevent suicide. With a focus on musicians, Nuçi’s Space advocates for and helps to alleviate the suffering for those living with a brain illness and fights to end the stigma of mental illness.

Light from Light is a Georgia-based nonprofit organization that provides funding, training and expertise to the Lespwa Timoun (“Hope for Children”) medical clinic in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti. The mission at Light from Light is to support lasting change in Haiti by empowering local leaders. The clinic is staffed by more than 53 Haitian leaders who provide care for more than 1,000 patients on a monthly basis, onsite and in remote villages. The pillars of Light from Light’s work include care of the malnourished and access to healthcare for the most marginalized (via mobile medicine).

TRAVEL MORE

If you’re ready to dust off your suitcase and scratch that travel itch in 2022, Cabo Luxury, Lightin RV Rentals and Double Fun Watersports are here to help you plan, relax and enjoy!

Cabo Luxury is the top provider of villa rentals and concierge services in all of Los Cabos, Mexico. Their 360-degree services make a villa rental a five-star resort experience. The company offers every service a customer desires in a luxury getaway and delivers them with Southern hospitality and white-glove service. The local staff knows Cabo inside and out and provides superior service for vacationers from arrival to departure.

Offering some of the finest recreational vehicles (RVs) on the market, Lightnin RV Rentals owns its entire fleet and continuously refreshes inventory with new models. Their luxury-loaded, top-quality motorhomes, travel trailers and pop-up campers are ideal for everything from family vacations and tailgate parties to corporate events and emergency housing.

Where you work can affect your happiness. Explore the 10 job search and interview tips to make your job search a strategic process. You will learn how to answer tough interview questions and ask the right questions during the interview to land your dream job!

REGISTER NOW

Take advantage of UGA’s Alumni Career Services. Our goal is to provide alumni around the world with quality career coaching and management tools for each stage of their careers.

UGA claims Beat Week victory (again)

October 14, 2021/by UGA Alumni

It’s always an exciting matchup when UGA and Auburn go head-to-head, and Beat Week 2021 was no exception.

Beat Week is the philanthropic counterpart to “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry,” and the rules are simple: the university with the most gifts raised during the week leading up to the game wins!

Following our narrow 3,200 to 2,900 victory last season, Auburn was looking to even the series this year—and early on, it appeared they might just do it.

However, the UGA community overcame a slow start and took a Monday afternoon lead, which they never relinquished. The result was a double dose of victory for UGA on and off the field. And when the dust settled in the Gift Accounting office, the final score stood:

UGA–2,790
Auburn–2,247

A good coach always acknowledges that every win is a team effort, and that’s certainly true for Beat Week. Everyone played a role: alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of UGA!

UGA’s student body had an impressive outing worthy of SportsCenter’s Top-10 performances; over 800 students flexed their philanthropic muscles and took part in the effort!

Beat Week raised over $650,000 to over 200 fund designations across campus supporting scholarships, research, academic programming and a lot more; proving that UGA isn’t just No. 1 in the latest AP Poll, but also in generosity.

Thank you to everyone who made Beat Week a success! GO DAWGS!

Written by Evan Tighe (BSED ’08, MA ’11), Senior Director of Annual and Special Giving

Giving Tuesday is a great day to make a difference

November 30, 2020/by Emily Munnell

Before the rush of the holidays takes over, Giving Tuesday is a day to pause and support the causes that mean the most to you. This year, the University of Georgia is highlighting three causes on campus that are addressing timely issues.

UGA Student Emergency Fund

The UGA Student Emergency Fund provides limited, one-time financial assistance to UGA students who are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses because of temporary hardship related to an emergency situation, such as an accident, illness, death of a family member, natural disaster, or other unforeseen circumstance (like a pandemic).

Looking for a stocking stuffer this holiday season? Each purchase of a pair of UGA face coverings also supports the Student Emergency Fund.

UGA Black Alumni Scholarship

The Black Alumni Scholarship Fund provides scholarship funds to a first-year student who exhibits dedication to racial equality through previous experience and creativity in improving race relations in the community. Donors of $19.61 or more to the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund will automatically become a member of the 1961 Club. Commemorating the year in which Hamilton E. Holmes (BS ’63) and Charlayne Hunter-Gault (ABJ ’63) courageously integrated the University of Georgia, the 1961 Club continues their legacy through its commitment to removing barriers and opening doors.

Vets for Pets and People

Run by UGA College of Veterinary Medicine students, Vets for Pets and People (VFPP) partners with Project Safe, a nonprofit working to end domestic violence in the Athens area. As women and children enter Project Safe’s network of safe houses, they often cannot take their pets with them. VFPP offers a temporary foster home for those animals that includes veterinary and nutrition care so that families can receive the care they need without worrying about their pets’ safety.

And you aren’t limited to these causes.

UGA is solving grand challenges on a local and global scale. In celebration of Giving Tuesday, show your support for the Bulldog Nation and your community with a commitment that inspires you. If you’d like to donate elsewhere, there are many causes. One heart.

GIVE NOW

Ask Me Anything Series: New Sessions

August 3, 2020/by Erin Geoghan

At home with the kids this summer?

July 6, 2020/by Katy Clements

By Frances Beusse and Jennifer Johnson, UGA Alumni Association

Concrete Canvas

Grab some chalk and create your best “Go Dawgs,” Super G or Bulldog driveway art.

For more information and resources, please visit the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 4-H or Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Here’s our Attack The Day 5K route. What’s yours?

June 15, 2020/by Clarke Schwabe

Now that we’re less than a week away from the Attack The Day 5K, it’s time for those heading outdoors on June 20 to lock in one of the most important elements of the 5K: your route!

With so many Bulldogs getting ready to wind through city streets, speed down walking paths or pound out 3.1 miles in the country, we started thinking about what our route will be. After some deliberation, we came up with this: five Classic City kilometers filled with UGA landmarks.

Start at The Arch and head south into campus. Pass by the Hunter-Holmes Building and hang a right at The Chapel, then left at Moore College (home of the UGA Honors Program), and you’ll go past the site of the first-ever home UGA football game, Herty Field.

As you go south, you’ll pass a number of School of Law and Terry College buildings before passing Park Hall. At this point, you may want to slow your pace a bit as you approach the Baldwin Street Steps, lest you end up with a medical bill approaching the legendarily frustrating landmark’s nickname.

Head down Sanford Drive and veer west as you pass the UGA Bookstore for a trip past Tate and the MLC. Cross Lumpkin Street (carefully) and make your way up Baxter Street, but fear not: you’re not climbing ALL the way up. Once you’re past Bolton, Lipscomb and Mell, turn left onto Cloverhurst Avenue and you’ll wind around past Creswell before turning onto University Court.

You’ve made it a mile! Keep going past O-House, down Cedar Street, up Ag Hill, then turn onto D.W. Brooks Drive. Travel south down the scenic path that starts between the Dance Building and the home of Air Force ROTC, Detachment 160, Hardman Hall. Wave at Warnell as you continue down DW Brooks Mall, also known as the South Campus Quad.

Turn left when you reach The Creamery, and head down Green Street past the Life Sciences Complex until you hit East Campus Road. Turn right, then right again onto Carlton Street, and once you reach Aderhold, you’ll have your second mile (and a little more than 3 kilometers) in the books!

There’s plenty to see on this stretch of the route: the Mary Frances Early College of Education, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Science Learning Center, Stegeman Coliseum. When you hit Sanford Drive, it’s time for the final stretch.

Turn right and you’ll pass the Georgia Center, Snelling and Myers Quad before you cross over Cedar Street. Wind around the last two bends in the route, and when you pass the scoreboard for the best stadium in college football, you’re done!

Our route winds through the heart of campus, but you can show off your Bulldog spirit wherever you are. Use a route-tracking app and you can put your Dawg fandom on the map, literally! Spell out UGA, draw The Arch, use your imagination, and most importantly, tag our social media accounts (@UGAalumni) with the result. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

There’s still time to sign up for our first-ever virtual 5K. Register today for the Attack The Day 5K!